Picking and shredding machine



Sept. 1, 1959 E. G. SOFlO PICKING AND SHREDDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2. 1955 EDWARD 6. SOF/O mm m9 8 t .3

ATTORNEYS Sept. 1, 1959 E. ca. SOFIO 2,901,777

PICKING AND SHREDDING MACHINE Filed Aug. 2. 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR EDWARD 6. 501-70 ATTORNEYS Sept. 1, 1959 E. G. SOFIO 2,901,777

PICKING AND SHREDDING MACHINE Filed Aug. 2. 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR EDWARD 6. .S'OF/O ATTORNEYS United States Patent PICKING AND SHREDDING MACHINE Edward G. Sofio, Baltimore, Md.

Application August 2, 1955, Serial No. 525,923

7 Claims. (Cl. 19-82) This invention relates to fiber and material picking and shredding machines of the general type shown and described in my former Patent No. 2,694,835 issued November 23, 1954. More particularly, the invention consists in new and useful improvements in the design and arrangement of a feed and material control mechanism for use in a picking and shredding machine of the type shown in said former patent.

Picking and shredding machines are designed for use in opening and mixing Wool, rayon staple, reclaimed fibers, cotton and wool substitutes, as well as many other kinds of work such as picking hair, kapok, African fiber, southern moss, cotton for use in making explosives and many mattress materials. Also heavy shredding may be carried out with such materials as burlap, gunny bagging, sugar bagging, old carpets, W001, W001 cots, etc.

Basically, all pickers, shredders or shoddy machines, are similar in that they all include a toothed cylinder, some form of feed roll and a feed table or apron. Of course, there are many variations in the design of feed rolls, a simplified form consisting of two fluted or pinned rolls, such as shown in my said former patent.

For heavy shredding the feed roll mechanism usually consists of a heavy body carrying a shell in the form of a curved section to which is fastened a cutting bar of abrasive resistant material, placed so that the teeth of the main picking or shredding cylinder enter the material being worked upon, at the edge of the cutting bar, and having a cockspur plate roll or pinned roll, compressing and holding the material against said shell. The pinned roll is caused to revolve in order to feed the material to be shredded and this roll is placed in a stand which allows the roll to raise and lower as the quantity or density of material being fed changes.

In all conventional machines with which I am familiar, the pinned feed roll is driven by engaging gears or by chain and sprocket mechanisms which function in a manner incapable of uniform performance and power consumption. In other words, when the feed is thickened the roll raises and due to the mechanical connection of the gear or chain drive, the speed of the roll is slowed as the roll is raised and speed is increased as it lowers from the raised position. Thus, with the maximum amount of material entering the shell and roll, it is forced to the picking teeth in greater quantity as .the roll lowers. This occurs as the shredding load is greatest and therefore it is not possible to have uniform power consumption. Also, since it is not possible to follow the periphery of the circle described by the revolving picker teeth with the known types of stands holding the revolving feed rolls, the distance between the tangent points of the cylinder and the feed roll, become much greater in the raised position which allows a great variance in the quality of the output of shredded or picked material.

It should therefore be noted that the proper function of the shredder is limited by the amount or distance the feed roll may be raised. If in the raised position the picker teeth do not function on all of the material fed to 2,901,777 Patented Sept. 1, 1959 ice it, the material may be caused to return with the roll and wrap around it, making the machine inoperative until this condition is corrected.

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a picking and shredding machine wherein the relationship of the pinned feed roll and the knife assembly, to the peripherally mounted picking teeth on the picking cylinder, is such that at least one of these elements, although movable with respect to the picking cylinder, maintains a constant peripheral spacing from the picking cylinder. In other words, the design of the present invention contemplates that with either the feed roll pivoted from the axis of the picking cylinder or the roll revolving on a stationary axis with respect to the axis of the picking cylinder and with the shell and knife pivoted from the axis of the picking cylinder, the roll or the knife and shell can raise or lower without changing the distance between the points of the picking cylinder and the pinned feed roll or the shell and knife edge, thus maintaining any adjustment which may have been made for the particular type of shredding or picking.

Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the type wherein with either the stationary pin roll or the pivoted pin roll, the rotation is at a constant speed as set and is not changed by a raised or lowered position of the same. This enables a uniform setting of all the working parts, a uniform speed of working parts and accounts for a greatly improved quality of output at a capacity far in excess of what has been possible with conventional type feed rolls.

A further object is to provide for a more uniform flow of material through the machine to eliminate shock loads, and reduce the power required for operation.

Still another object is to minimize breakage of parts and reduce the cost of maintenance while increasing the capacity of the machine and the quality of its product.

A still further object is to provide means for picking out and returning bits of unshredded material for reshredding along with the charging stock.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features herein set forth, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a view in side elevation, illustrating the complete assembly of the preferred form of the invention, embodying the upstroke picking cylinder; 1

Figure 2 is a top plan view, illustrating the far side of the structure shown in Fig. 1; V

Figure 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic view taken transversely through the picking cylinder and feed roll assembly, illustrating the upstroke form of the invention;

Figure 4 is a generally similar diagrammatic illustration of the downstroke modification of the invention;

Figure 5 is a further enlarged fragmentary detail of the upstroke machine, illustrating the relationship of the peripheries of the pinned feed roll and picking cylinder and the intervening knife edge;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail showing the arrangement of the pins in the periphery of the pinned feed roll;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective View showing the pivotally mounted knife edge and related parts, from the far side of Figure 3; and

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of the chain drive mechanism for the feeding assembly.

Referring first to the upstroke form of the invention illustrated generally in Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the invention embodies a fiber or material picking and shredding machine comprising a completely closed working or picking cylinder having teeth arranged in the manner shown in my said former patent, No. 2,694,835, with the exception that the cylinder is designed to rotate .in a counter-clockwise direction for upstroke operation, as distinguished'from clockwise or downstroke direction as described in said patent. This machine comprises a frame 10 supported on a base 11, a picking cylinder 12 having a central shaft 13 being rotatably mounted in opposed bearings 1-4, supported 'by the frame 10. As previously stated, the cylinder 12 and the arrangement of its teeth are similar to those shown in my said former patent and need not be further described here.

A vertical extension 16 from the frame 10, vhingedly supports a hood 17 by means of a pivotal connection 18, 'so that the hood can be raised and lowered with respect to'th'e periphery of the picking cylinder 12. When in closed position as shown in Figure 1, the hood 17 completely encloses the cylinder 12 with the exception of openings (not shown) at each end of the cylinder for the admission of air, as will be later described.

As seen in Figure 2, the main shaft 13 of the cylinder '12 is extended to receive a drive pulley 19 which by means of a belt arrangement 20, is connected to the drive pulley 21 of an electric motor 22 which imparts a counterclockwise rotation to the cylinder 12, as viewed from Figure 1.

Turning now to the feed assembly in general, an end- :less conveyor 23 is mounted longitudinally of the machine, for travel about a pair of spaced rolls 24 and 25, supported on a conveyor frame 26 which is mounted on anadjustable leg assembly 27. The innermost roller at the feeding end of the conveyor assembly is located in relatively close promity to the entrance opening 28 of a pinned roll enclosure 29, so that the inner end of the endless conveyor 23 terminates in feeding relationship to said opening 28. Within the enclosure 29, the pinned feed roll 30 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 31, supported in suitable bearings, and the periphery of .the pinned feed roll is provided with a series of pins '32 which project from the periphery of the roll at a reverse angle to the direction of the rotation of the roll and as shown in Figure 6 are arranged in alternately dis- ,posed rows. The pinned roll enclosure 29 is joined at its rear end to the lower picking cylinder enclosure 33 and communicates with the interior of the latter through a transverse opening 34, whereby the extremities of the oppositely rotating teeth 15 and pins 32 of the picking :cylinder and feed roll respectively, travel in circular paths which lie in relatively closely spaced coacting relation, as and for the purpose hereinafter described.

The motive power for the feed assembly is derived from a separate motor 35 which is operatively connected tothepinned feed roll 30 through a reduction gear mechanism 36, driven by a sprocket 37 and sprocket chain .38, running from the motor sprocket 39. The far end of the pinned feed roll shaft 31 is extended and has fixed thereto a sprocket wheel 40 which is connected to a second sprocket 41 on conveyorroll shaft 25a, by means of a sprocket chain 42.

Overlying the upper run of the endless conveyor 23 and above the conveyor roll 25, is a fluted feed roller 43 which may be of the type shown in my said former patent, and the proper functioning of the machine requires that this fluted feed roll rotate in a reverse direc- ,tion to that of the conveyor roll 25 whichis mounted on theshaft 25a. The chain drive arrangement for effecting this reverse rotation will best be seen in Figure .8 which illustrates the drive mechanism diagrammatically. Here it will be noted that on the opposite end, the shaft 25a has fixed thereto a sprocket wheel 44 which rotates with and in the same direction as the opposite sprocket wheel 41. An idler sprocket 45'm'ounted' on a shaft 46, carried bythe fiamework 47 of the endless conveyor assembly, ismonnetzted "by a sprocket "chain 48 to thesprocket 4'4 on shaft 25a and thus has a corresponding rotary motion imparted thereto. Spaced forwardly from the idler shaft 46 is a transverse shaft 50, also supported by the frame 47 parallel with and lying substantially in the same vertical plane as the shaft 46. The shaft 50 carries a sprocket wheel 51 which engages the outer side of the upper run of the sprocket chain 48, thereby deriving a reverse rotation with relation to the sprockets 44 and 45. Fixed to and rotatable with the reversely rotating shaft 50 is a second sprocket 53 over which runs a sprocket chain 54, connected to a sprocket 55 carried by shaft 56 which rotatably supports the .fluted feed roll 43.

The mounting of the fluted feed roll 43 is such that it is self-adjusting vertically, with respect to the top run of the endless conveyor 23. As shown in the drawings, the roll 43 is supported by suitable bearings 57 carried at the free end of a supporting arm 58 which is pivotally mounted on the shaft 50. The roll 43 being a heavily weighted body, rests upon the material being conveyed on the conveyor 23 and is automatically lifted and lowered depending upon the bulk or density of the feed being conveyed.

It will thus be seen that the rotary motion generated by the motor 35 is first transmitted through the reduction gear mechanism 36 to the pinned feed roll 30 through shaft 31 which in turn transmits this same rotary motion through sprocket chain 42, sprocket wheel 41, shaft 25a, and sprocket wheel 44, to the sprocket wheel 45, the rotation of all of said sprocket wheels being counterclockwise. Through the upper run of the sprocket chain 48, the rotation of the sprocket wheels 51 and 53 is reversed, and this reversed rotation is transmitted by sprocket 55 to the fluted feed roll 43. Thus, as the material advances on the endless conveyor 23, toward the opening 28 adjacent the periphery of the pinned feed roll 30, it passes under the periphery of the fluted feed roll 43 which .is simultaneously rotating in the reverse direction.

In this form of the invention, the pinned feed roll 30 is rotatably mounted on an axis 31 which is fixed with respect to the axis 13 of the picker cylinder 12 and therefore the peripheral relationship of the two cylinders remains the same.

As previously stated, picking and shredding machines of this type embody in conjunction with the picking cylinder and pinned feed roll, a shell or curved section to which is fastened a knife or cutting bar of abrasive resistant material, placed so that the teeth of the main picking cylinder enter the material being worked upon at the edge of the knife. In the present invention, the form shown in Figure 3, the knife or cutting bar generally represented by the numeral 59, is pivotally mounted on an axis which is eccentric to the axis of rotation of the picking cylinder 12, so that upon encountering a run of heavy or dense material being fed by the pinned feed roll 30, the knife assembly automatically raises away from 'the periphery of the picking 'cyclinder 12 until such dense material has passed. As will later appear, any of this dense material which has passed the knife element unshredded, is uatomatically recycled through the feeding mechanism.

This knife structure and its mounting will best be understood by reference to Figures 3, 5 and 7 where it will be seen that the knife assembly 59 consists of a cross bar 6t having on its underside a series of spaced bosses 61 by means of which a knife or cutting edge 62 is secured by bolts 63. The knife 62 is forwardly and downwardly inclined so that its cutting edge lies transversely across the periphery of the picking cylinder 12 between the opposed extremities of the coacting picker teeth 15 and feed pins 32 on the picking cylinder and feed roll '30 respectively. A curved shell 64 is secured to'the undersideof the knife unit 59 by means of a transverse supporting block 65 and its forward edge describes anarc complementary to the periphery of the pinned feed roll 30, terminating contiguous with the rear edge of the knife 62, as best seen in Figure 5. The rear edge of the shell 64 is bent upwardly and forms a flange 66 which extends entirely across the assembly.

At each end the knife assembly 59 is supported by a vertical plate 67, depending from a pair of beams or arms 68 which are pivotally mounted at 69 on transversely spaced brackets 70, supported by the frame 10. The pivotal point or axis of the pair of arms 68 is eccentric to that of the picking cylinder 12, so that upon elevation of the free ends of the arms 68 and the knife assembly 59, the knife edge 62 is moved an increasing distance from the periphery of the cylinder 12.

On at least one side of the free end of the pivoting arms 68, there is provided a spring mechanism which normally tends to urge the knife element into operative position. This spring mechanism consists of a rod 71 pivotally mounted at its upper end as at 72 to a supporting lug 73, its opposite end passing through a slot 74 in an upper platform 75 on the frame and carrying a coiled spring 76. TThe spring 76 is interposed between an adaptor plate 77 and an end bolt 78 on a lower end of the rod 71, whereby it exerts a constant downward tension on the rod 71 and in turn, upon the free ends of the pair of arms 68. The pivotal adjusting movement of the knife assembly 59 is controlled against endwise shifting by a pair of guide rollers 79 bolted to the opposite platforms 75 by means of upstanding brackets 80, said rollers being arranged for sliding engagement with the respective end plates 67 on the knife assembly.

In order to control the effective position of the cutting edge of the knife 62, an adjustable abutment 81 is adapted to coact with the adjacent arm 68. As shown in Figure 7, this abutment 81 engages a slot 82 extending vertically through the arm 68, the upper end 83 of the abutment being reduced to provide a shoulder 83a upon which the arm is adapted to rest in its selected down position. As seen in dotted lines, the upper portion of the slot 82 is transversely reduced as at 82a to provide a shoulder which is complementary to the shoulder 83a. The abutment 81 is vertically adjustable upon a screw threaded arm 84 which is swivelled as at 85 to the platform 75 and an adjusting lock nut 86 maintains a selected vertical adjustment of the abutment. Thus, when the abutment is set for a predetermined positioning of the knife 62 with respect to the pinned feed roll 30 and picking cylinder 12, the upward movement of the knife assembly on the arms 68 is permitted by the slot 82 and upon the return to down position, the arms 68 are again stopped by the engagement of the shoulders 82a and 83a.

Returning now to the hood 17 and referring particularly to Figure 3, it will be seen that the hood is elevated to provide an enlarged material chamber 87 above the picking cylinder 12. A guide vane 88 extends across the entrance end of the chamber 87 and is pivoted upon a transverse rod 89 for movement of its trailing edge 90 through an arc toward and away from the periphery of the picking cylinder 12. Any suitable adjusting knob 91 on one of the vertical sides of the hood (Figure 1) may be employed for efiecting the proper adjustment of the vane 88. As will later appear, the adjustment of the deflecting vane 88 facilitates the proper guiding of unshredded bits of heavy materials, for recirculation. Preferably, a baflie 92 is affixed to the leading edge of the vane 88 to further assist in the direction of the material travelling around the periphery of the picking cylinder 12.

The chamber or passageway 87 terminates in communication with a discharge duct 93 which communicates through a conduit 94 with an exhaust fan 95. An adjustable damper 96 regulates the flow of air through the system, from the entrance openings at the ends of the picking cylinder, to the exhaust fan 95.

The opposite end of the hood 17 is connected into a return duct 97 for recycling unshredded bits of material,

to the: conveyor 23. The return duct 97 communicates with the chamber 87 by means of an opening 98 extending entirely across the hood 17. Immediately in advance of the opening 98, the hood is provided with a vaned bit throw-out or kick roll 99 which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 100, to one end of which is fixed a pulley 101. A second pulley 102 is fixed to the corresponding end of the picking cylinder shaft 13 and the two are operatively connected by a belt 102a. Thus, a rotary motion corresponding to that of the picking cylinder 12 is transmitted to the kick roll 99, so that bits of unshredded material forced outwardly into the chamber 87 by centrifugal action, are directed through the recycling opening 98 into the return chute 97. Just within the opening 98, mounted on a shaft 103 which is parallel with shaft 100, is a second smaller kick roll 104. A pulley 105, mounted on the end of shaft 103 is connected to pulley 101 by means of a belt 106, whereby the second kick roll 104 is simultaneously rotated in counterclockwise direction with the first kick roll 99.

The smaller kick roll 104 and its shaft 103 are mounted in bearings 107 mounted on the upper side of an underslide 108 which is pivotally mounted on a shaft 109. The lower extremity of the underslide 108 overlies the upper edge of the chute 97 adjacent the open 98 as at 110 and the entire underslide 108 with the second kick roll 104 is thus pivotally adjustable with respect to the opening 98 to facilitate the return flow of material for further treatment.

In the operation of the upstroke machine just described, the material to be shredded is placed on the feed apron or endless conveyor 23, at the feeding end of which it is compressed by the weighted feed roll 43 which simultaneously rotates in clockwise direction and feeds the material into the opening 28, between the pinned feed roll 30 and the shell 64 of the knife assembly 59. Here, it is carried to the teeth 15 of the picking cylinder 12 by the counter-clockwise rotation of the cylinder 30 and its feeding pins 32. During this operation the material is compressed by the shell 64 and the downward tension of spring '76 on the knife assembly 59.

The material fed by the pinned feed roll 30 is shredded by the teeth 15 on the picking cylinder 12 in the manner described in my former patent, the teeth 15 coacting with the knife edge 62 which extends transversely across the opening 34. The rotation of the picking cylinder 12 causes a certain amount of air to circulate through the system and creates a centrifugal force which directs heavy unshredded particles outwardly in chamber 87 where it is deflected by vane 88 toward the opening 98 of the return chute 97. This outwardly deflected material is forced through the opening 98 and into the return chute 97 by the first kick out roll 99 and is thereafter picked up by the second kick roll 104 and forced back through the return chute 97 on to the top run of the endless conveyor 23, for return through the system.

As previously stated, the axis of the pinned feed roll 30 in this upstroke type of machine is fixed with respect to the axis of the picking cylinder 12. However, should any heavy or dense particles of material pass into the space between the feed and picking cylinders, the knife assembly 59 automatically raises against the tension of spring 76 through the pivotal action of the arms 68 which support the knife assembly and these particles which have thus passed through the system are recycled as before explained. However, the peripheral spacing of the pickmg cylinder 12 and pinned feed roll 30 remains constant.

Turning now to the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, i.e. the downstroke type of machine, it will be noted that no recirculation or recycling is provided for. With this machine, a similar picking cylinder 12 is mounted on a shaft 13 carried by suitable bearings 14, but instead of the raised hood 17 a smaller substantially cylindrical hood 17a completely encloses the picking cylinder 12. The upper portion of the hood 17a is hingedly connected to the lower portion at 17b so that 7.. it can be raised away from the picking cylinder 12. The lowerend of the hood 17a terminates in communication with a discharge duct 93 which, as in the other form of the invention, is connected to a suitable discharge fan (not shown) A similar endless conveyor 23 and fluted feed roll 43 are ,provided for this type of mechanism and feeds directly to the peripheral teeth 32a on a pinned feed roll 30a. The pinned feed roll 30a is mounted on shaft 31a held in bearings 114 on the end of an arm 113, which is pivotally mounted on the shaft 13 of the picking cylinder 12. Thus, the pinned feed roll is adjustable circumferentially of the picking cylinder 12 while maintaining :a constant peripheral spacing therefrom.

.In this form of the invention, the knife assembly 5911 is fixed as distinguished from the pivotally adjustable assembly shown in .Fig. 2. A base7115 is slidably adjustable by means of slots and bolts 116, and supports the cutting knife-62a for adjustment toward and away from the periphery of the picking cylinder 12. A shell 64a is contiguous with the rear edge of the knife 62a and underlies the pinned feed roll 30a. An upper shell 111 is fixed to the hood 17a as at 112, and overlying said pinned feed roll in opposed relation to the lower shell 64a.

In the downstroke machine the picking cylinder 12 is designed to rotate in clockwise direction looking at Fig. 4 and the pinned feed roll 30a whose teeth 32a are directed at a reverse angle, also rotates in clockwise direction. However, in order to maintain a constant speed of rotation :of the pinned feed roll 30a, in this form of the invention said feed roll is driven by an independent motor (not shown).

7 Generally speaking, the operation of this machine is similar to that just described with the exception that there is no recirculation of bits of material. However, the arrangement is such that the maintained equidistant spacing of the picking teeth and pins of the picking cylin- 'der 12 and the feed roll 30a respectively, effects a uniform flufiing or shredding of the material and holds back the lumps or heavy material until they are reduced to the proper size for shredding.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the invention may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, it being borne in mind that numerous changes may be made in the details disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a picking and shredding machine, a picking cylinder .having a series of peripherally mounted teeth projecting therefrom, a hood enclosing said cylinder, air flow inducing means connected to said hood, a discharge duct from said hood, a knife element disposed adjacent the periphery of said cylinder, in spaced relation to the radial extremities of said teeth, a feed roll element rotatably mounted on an axis parallel to that of said cylinder, adjacent said-knife element, said feed roll having radially projecting peripheral pins which terminate in spaced coacting relation to the extremities of said teeth, one of said elements being mounted in fixed relation to the periphery of said cylinder to maintain a constant spacing from the teeth thereof, the other of said elements being pivotally mounted on an axis eccentric to that of said picking cylinder for adjustment about the periphery of the latter and toward or away from said periphery, means for causing corresponding rotation of said cylinder and feed roll, whereby their .respective coacting teeth and pins pass in opposite circular directions, and means for feeding material to said feed roll.

2. In a picking and shredding machine, a picking cylinder having a series of peripheral teeth projecting therefrom, a hood enclosing said cylinder, air flow inducing means connected to said hood, .a discharge duct from said hood, a knife .element pivotally supported adjacent the periphery-of saidcylinder, in spaced relation to the -radial extremities of said teeth, for rotary adjustment with respect to the periphery of said cylinder, saidknife element being pivotally mounted on an axis eccentric to that of said cylinder, to permit a variation in its spacing from the periphery of the cylinder, a feed roll rotatably mounted onan axis parallel to that of said cylinder, adjacent the knife element, said feed roll having radially projecting pins which terminate in spaced, coacting relation to the extremities of :said teeth, means for causing corresponding rotation of ,said cylinder and feed roll, whereby their respective and coacting teeth and pins, pass in opposite circular directions, and means for feeding material to said feed roll.

3. A picking and shredding machine as claimed in clainli 2, including means for recycling unshredded materia 4. Ina picking and shredding machine, a picking cylinder having a series of peripheral teeth projecting therefrom, .a hood enclosing said cylinder, air flow inducing means connected to said hood, a discharge duct from said hood, a knife element pivotally mounted on an axis eccentric :to that of said cylinder, supported adjacent the peripheryof the latter, in spaced relation to the radial extrernities of said teeth, for adjustably spacing said knife from the periphery of said cylinder, a feed roll rotatably mounted on a fixed axis parallel to that of said cylinder, adjacent the knife element, said feed roll having radially projecting pins which terminate in spaced, coacting relation to-the extremities of said teeth, means for causing corresponding rotation of said cylinder and feed roll, whereby their respective coacting teeth and pins pass in opposite circular directions, an endless conveyor for deliveringmaterial to said feed roll, a recycling duet connected to said .hood and directed toward said conveyor, and means for deflecting unshredded material from said hood to said duct.

5. A picking and shredding machine as claimed in claim :4, wherein the peripheral pins of said feed roll are directed at a reverse angle with respect to the direction of rotation of said roll.

6. A picking and shredding machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pins of said feed roll are directed at a reverse angle with respect to the direction of rotation of said roll and the teeth of said cylinder are directed at a forward angle with respect to the direction of rotation of said cylinder.

7. A picking and shredding machine as claimed in claim 4, including a-weighted feed roll overlying the feeding end of said conveyor and means adjustably supporting said weighted feed roll with respect to said conveyor.

References Cited in-the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS "80,724 Goff a Aug. 4, 1868 208,493 Proctor "Oct. 1, 1878 314,642 Archer, Mar. 31, 1885 1,672,704 Allen et al June 5, 1928 1,705,433 Wild-ct al Mar. 12, 1929 1,925,550 Williams Sept. 5, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 657 Great Britain of 1857 

